Joel
There is one long section in Joel that refers to Messianic times, 2:28-3:21, and there are phrases that indicate Joel sees it all as the same time period, called the last days:
2.28 and it shall come to pass afterward [I will pour out of my Spirit]
2.29 in those days [when I pour out my Spirit]
2.31 before the great and terrible day of the LORD come
3.1 for, behold, in those days and at that time [poured out Spirit and deliverance in Zion]
3.14 the day of the LORD
3.18 and it shall come to pass in that day [judgment and the LORD dwelling in Zion]
Messianic times indeed! Now on to the particulars
2:28-32
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30 And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
What a great and wonderful day this will be: the Spirit poured out and deliverance in mount Zion! I can say that without doubt this refers to the day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:1-4
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
How can I be so certain? This is how Peter began his sermon on the day of Pentecost:
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel. (Acts 2:14-16)
He then quoted this passage in Joel. When Peter quoted it he said, And it shall come to pass in the last days which indicates the Jews understood afterward to mean last days. Last days and latter days are often a signal for Messianic prophecy. What a wonderful day was ushered in by Pentecost!
The Christian life is not merely an intellectual or philosophical pursuit, in which we focus only on correct doctrine; no, it is a supernatural life! Joel mentions prophesying, dreams, visions; on Pentecost they spoke in tongues; the rest of the New Testament speaks of the gifts of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit, the leading of the Spirit, the witness of the Spirit, the life of the Spirit. Have you received the Spirit since you believed? Are you walking in the Spirit?
Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved – Oh what a day Joel is prophesying of! Peter quotes it (Acts 2:21) as does Paul (Romans 10:13). There is now salvation from the Lord and it is available to whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord. Just how large is this whosoever? Jew, Gentile; red, black, brown, white; man, woman, child; rich, poor; educated, uneducated; Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Socialist, Communist, anarchist. He who is thirsty, let him come; and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely!
What a day we live in!
3:1-21
1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
In those days and at that time. What days? The days just mentioned in chapter 2. These last days include the restoration of Judah and Jerusalem and recompense unto the nations.
9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
16 The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision - The day of judgment. Quite a sobering day. This takes place when Christ returns (Revelation 14:14 and following).
The LORD shall roar out of Zion...but the LORD will be the hope of his people – He roars and comforts at the same time. In 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 Paul says the second coming brings tribulation and rest; wrath and glory:
Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints...
17 So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.
18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.
19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.
And you shall know that I the LORD your God Dwell in Zion, My holy mount. And Jerusalem shall be holy; Nevermore shall strangers pass through it. (JPS Tanakh) - When shall this be fulfilled? I believe he is speaking here of what is known as the millennium, the one thousand year reign of Christ on the earth when he returns. Maranatha!
I close with the comments of Adam Clarke, that great Methodist preacher and theologian:
“The prophecy in this chapter is thought by some to relate to the latter times of the world, when God shall finally deliver his people from all their adversaries; and it must be confessed that the figures employed are so lofty as to render it impossible to restrain the whole of their import to any events prior to the commencement of the Christian era. The whole prophecy is delivered in a very beautiful strain of poetry.
Joel 3:16 The Lord also shall roar out of Zion - His temple and worship shall be reestablished there, and he will thence denounce his judgments against the nations. "The heavens and the earth shall shake." There shall be great commotions in powerful empires and their dependencies; but in all these things his own people shall be unmoved, for God shall be their hope and strength.
Joel 3:17 So shall ye know - By the judgments I execute on your enemies, and the support I give to yourselves, that I am the all-conquering Jehovah; and that I have again taken up my residence in Jerusalem. All this may refer, ultimately, to the restoration of the Jews to their own land; when holiness to the Lord shall be their motto; and no strange god, or impure people, shall be permitted to enter the city, or even pass through it. This, I think, must refer to Gospel times. It is a promise not yet fulfilled.
Joel 3:18 In that day - After their return from their captivities.
The mountains shall drop down new wine - A poetic expression for great fertility. Happy times: peace and plenty. The vines shall grow luxuriantly on the sides of the mountains; and the hills shall produce such rich pastures that the flocks shall yield abundance of milk.
And all the rivers of Judah - Far from being generally dry in the summer, shall have their channels always full of water.
And a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord - See Ezekiel 47. Thus all the figures in this verse will point out the happy times of the Gospel: the mountains shall drop down new wine; the hills flow with milk; the thorny valleys become fertile, etc.
Joel 3:20 But Judah shall dwell for ever - The promise may also belong to the full and final restoration of the Jews, when they shall dwell at Jerusalem as a distinct people professing the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Joel 3:21 For the Lord dwelleth in Zion - This prophet, who has many things similar to Ezekiel, ends his prophecy nearly in the same way:
Ezekiel says, Yehovah shammah, The Lord Is There.
Joel says, Yehovah shochen betsiyon, The Lord Dwelleth in Zion.
Both point out the continued indwelling of Christ among his people."
"What a day, glorious day, that will be!"
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